Five Pawns does something few mixologists in the industry can do. They near-perfectly blend a wide variety of flavors, some that seemingly wouldn't work well in a mix, in some of the most unique concoctions imaginable. Not only that, but they seem to have the ability to take flavors you wouldn't normally enjoy and mix them into a mouth-watering and savory vape.
While the price of each bottle may deter some, let me tell you, it's well worth it. When I first started vaping, I was paying $10 for 10ml of something like an RY4, and that was about as complex as it got. There's nothing wrong with ordering a month's supply of dirt cheap e-liquid online, so long as it keeps you from smoking. Five Pawns is for the flavor connoisseur, the vaper who's tried the rest, but is continually looking for the best.
Having been around since November of 2012, Five Pawns was one of the first in movement toward more artisanal blends. But none have branded themselves in the way Five Pawns has. Taking a page out of the microbrew industry, founder Rodney Jerabek uniformly “themed” Five Pawns similar to that of a high-end craft brewery or distillery. Every glass bottle is not only individually numbered, but packaged in an elegant cardboard tube like a fine scotch.
Hence, this won't be a typical e-juice review. I have decided to review each flavor as if it were a bottle of wine or a seasonally brewed stout. Each of Five Pawns' ten blends will be broken down into appearance, smell, taste and overall opinion of the juice, similar to what you would find on Beer Advocate. Obviously, I can't judge a flavor based on accuracy to it's namesake when not only is it so complex, but has nothing to compare to. So let's jump into the basics before we move on to the individual flavor reviews for Five Pawns.
Packaging
As stated above, Five Pawns packages each bottle in a cardboard tube that is capped with a black top. Every tube is labeled with branding as well as the lot number it came from, nicotine strength, and date the juice was bottled. Inside is a glass, 30ml bottle with a traditional nipple-top dripper encasing a glass pipette. However, Five Pawns recently went a step above other brands with their Mixology Edition line and started using child-safety nipple-top drippers.
As far as I know, they are the only vendor using those caps. As for bottle labeling, you'll find it's very similar to what can be found on the tube. The only real difference is that each bottle is individually numbered 1-250 or 1-500, depending on how many were made from that lot. Overall, there is sort of a rustic, old-time saloon feel to the branding of every bottle.
Mixing Options
Due to the complexity of each flavor, Five Pawns only mixes their e-liquid with a 50-50 PG/VG ratio. However, all flavors are available in your choice of nicotine strength from 0mg to 24mg, in increments of six (0,6, 12, 18, 24). All ten flavors used for this review were mixed with 6mg/ml of nicotine.
Five Pawns' premium e-liquid blends wouldn't be the best choice for cloud chasing, not only due to the higher PG content, but also their higher price. Just as you wouldn't chug a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, you're probably not gonna want to vaporize an entire milliliter in just a few puffs, unless, of course, you are like me and prefer a warm vape. However, each flavor does vape extremely well in devices like the Kayfun or Kayfun Lite, while still very satisfying on a dripper, which is my atomizer of choice and what I used for this review. On that note, let's jump into the individual flavor discussion.
Five Pawns E-Liquid Flavors
Five Pawns Signature Series
Grandmaster – Rating: 5/5
Mixing Date: January 1st, 2014
Testing Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: Faint orange
Smell: Peanuts and banana
Taste: The peanut butter is the most pronounced taste upon the first inhale. Upon exhaling, I get notes of a creamy caramel and banana.
Overall: This is one of my favorite flavors from the Five Pawns Signature Series. It's very reminiscent of a banana split loaded with peanut chips. Fans of dessert and candy bar flavors should fall in love with Grandmaster's perfectly layered blend.
Gambit – Rating: 5/5
Mixing Date: September 1st, 2013
Testing Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: A mix of yellow and orange
Smell: Caramel apple with a hint of whipped cream
Taste: Right off the bat, I taste apple and pie crust. There is a bit of cream on the finish, along with a touch of caramel.
Overall: Gambit was the first flavor I ever tried from Five Pawns. Before Castle Long Reserve was released, it was my favorite of their complex blends. Geared toward fans of dessert flavors, Gambit is easily an all day vape for its sweet, but not overpowering flavor.
Queenside – Rating: 4/5
Mixing Date: July 15th, 2013
Testing Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: Dark orange, whiskey
Smell: Orange, vanilla
Taste: Queenside has a sightly bitter orange taste with notes of vanilla and cream.
Overall: I was instant fan of Queenside when I first sampled it at ECC last September. Right behind berry flavors, I'm a big fan of citrus blends when it comes to e-juice. Queenside tastes almost identical to an Orange Julius, just not quite as sweet. Because the citrus blends extremely well with the French vanilla, it could be an all day vape for fans of either flavor.
Bowden's Mate – Rating: 5/5
Mixing Date: September 1st, 2013
Testing Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: Dark orange, almost brown
Smell: Strong mint with a hint of chocolate and vanilla
Taste: This one is sweet on the tip of the tongue, while minty on the back.
Overall: The smell of Bowen's Mate is reminiscent of an Andes chocolate mint while the taste reminds me of a thin mint or mint chocolate chip ice cream. However, unlike many menthol flavors, the mint isn't too overpowering. And after a few puffs, it starts to become the best part of the blend. Bowden's Mate is a must try for menthol and mint fans and could easily be enjoyed by vapers who prefer dessert flavors as well.
Absolute Pin – Rating: 4/5
Mixing Date: July 15th, 2013
Tasting Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: A pear-tinted yellow
Smell: Black licorice, cinnamon and other spices
Taste: Surprisingly, I don't taste licorice at all on the inhale. Absolute Pin gives off notes of caramel and cream on the inhale while finishing with mild taste of black licorice and cinnamon on the exhale.
Overall: I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of Absolute Pin, considering it has such a strong scent of licorice, a flavor I am not a fan of. The Irish cream really comes out once the liquid is heated, along with taste of caramel. This could be either a dessert vape or something to enjoy with a tasty beverage. Absolutely Pin just might be the best licorice-styled juice available and is a must-try for fans of the flavor!
Five Pawns Mixology Edition
Castle Long – Rating: 5/5
Mixing Date: March 1st, 2014
Testing Date: March 26th, 2014
Appearance: Faint orange
Smell: German chocolate cake
Taste: Castle Long gives me notes of coconut, almond, chocolate on inhale, slight taste of bourbon on exhale.
Overall: The best of the bunch, Castle Long is quite possibly Five Pawns' most grandiose flavor. While not as sweet as the reserve, it still has the delectable taste of a German chocolate cake or an Almond Joy. Castle Long could easily be an all day vape, especially for fans of dessert flavors and even tobacco connoisseurs. It's the kind of vape that would pair well with a good stout or a snifter of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
Lucena – Rating: 5/5
Mixing Date: February 1st, 2014
Testing Date: March 26th, 2014
Appearance: Caramel-like orange
Smell: Faint Peach
Taste: I taste some peach and some spiced rum with a hint of nutty flavor, but mostly peach.
Overall: Lucena could very well be an all-day-vape for peach fans. It's definitely “juicier” than Castle Long and like nothing I've tasted before, so I can't really compare it to anything. It's like a peach soaked for a few minutes in a bowl of Sailor Jerry's with vapor does smell like a peach cobbler.
Sixty-Four – Rating: 4/5
Mixing date: February 1st, 2014
Testing Date: March 26th, 2014
Appearance: Salmon orange
Smell: Citrus Mojto
Taste: Another flavor that is unlike anything I have ever tasted. There is definitely some mint and citrus in there, can't really disseminate if it's grapefruit. It's slightly bitter, slightly sweet and refreshing.
Overall: Might be more suited to a cooler coil setup than what I have but Sixty-Four is still a satisfying, bold flavor.
Perpetual Check – Rating: 5/5
Mixing Date: February 1st, 2014
Testing Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: White wine
Smell: Slightly grape, with a liqueur accent
Taste: Definitely tastes like some sort of currant cocktail. It has a light but crisp berry taste that is actually pretty refreshing.
Overall: Perpetual Check would be excellent for fans of complex berry flavors. It might be a little strong to be an all day vape but it's one of the few grape flavors I've ever tried that doesn't have a candy taste to it. I could imagine Perpetual Check pairing very well with some wine tasting or day out in the sun.
Fifth Rank – Rating: 4/5
Mixing Date: February 1st, 2014
Testing Date: March 27th, 2014
Appearance: Bright orange
Smell: Lime, mint
Taste: It has an initial taste of lime and mint, with a very slight finish of licorice and cream.
Overall: I am not normally a fan of lime and have always hated the taste of licorice, which I had to do some research on. It turns out the finish on a vape of Fifth Rank is likely the horehound herb flavor listed on Five Pawns' tasting notes for the Mixology Edition. However, this juice is more than tolerable for me. It's actually quite refreshing as the lime blends well with sweet cream and horehound. A must for licorice lovers and fans of citrus vapes.
If you're looking for other e-juice brands to try, here's a list of the best e-liquids for every taste.